Traditional Chinese medicine’s five
elements theory is helpful to interpret the connection between the
physiology and pathology of the human body and the natural environment.
Great Five phases or elements
The great five elements are;
wood, fire, earth, metal and water. The five elements theory is helpful
to interpret the connection between the physiology and pathology of the
human body and the natural environment. The five elements are in
constant movement and change, and the interdependence and mutual
restraint of these five elements clarifies the complex connection
between material objects as well as the unity between the human body
and the natural world.
The five elements emerged from an
observation of the various groups of dynamic processes, functions and
characteristics observed in the natural world. The aspects involved in
each of the five elements are follows:
Five element characterization and classification
- Wood is characterized as germination, extension, softness, harmony, flexibility, etc.
- Fire is characterized as draught, heat, flaring, ascendance, movement, etc.
- Earth is characterized as growing, changing, nourishing, producing, etc.
- Metal is characterized as strength, firmness, killing, cutting, cleaning up, etc.
- Water is characterized as moisture, cold, descending, flowing, etc.
It
is then concluded that anything with that defined characteristics
should be included in to the corresponding category of the element.
Relation between Five elements
Between the five elements there exists close relationships that can be classified as;
- Mutual
promoting and mutual restraining under physiological conditions, by
mutually promoting and restraining, functions of the various systems
are coordinated and homeostasis maintained.
- Mutual encroaching
and mutual violating under pathological conditions, by encroaching and
violating, pathological changes can be explained and complications
predicted.
Mutual promoting five elements
Order of
mutual promoting among the five elements is that wood promotes fire,
fire promotes earth, earth promotes metal, metal promotes water and
water generates wood. Thus each of the five elements has mutual
circular promoting relationship with the other continue endlessly.
Mutual restraining five elements
Order
of mutual restraining among the five elements is that metal restrains
wood, wood restrains earth, earth restrains water, water restrains fire
and fire restrains metal. Each of the five elements also shares this
restraining relationship with the other.
Mutual promoting and
mutual restraining are coexistence and cannot be separated. If there is
no promoting, means no birth and growth. If there is no restraining,
means no change and development for maintaining normal harmonious
relations. Thus the growth and development or change of all things
exists through this mutual promoting and restraining relationships.
These relationships are the fundamental of the circulation of natural
elements.
Encroaching and violating are the pathological
conditions of the general mutual promoting and restraining
relationships. Encroaching indicates that the restraining of one of the
five elements to another exceeds the normal level, while violating
indicates that one of the five elements restrains the other opposite to
the normal mutual restraining order.
